Tag Archives: superpowers

Writing isn’t easy. Crafting a story is a difficult process. But we’re only human, so mistakes may be made. We’re not perfect. But what if we had superpowers? Not like superheroes, but literary superpowers. What would an author like to have as a superpower?

Question 78 – If you could have a literary superpower, what special ability would you like to have that would help your writing?

The power to instantly read any revision with fresh eyes. I have a tendency to think of my own writing as droll and dull after reading it over and over and over and over. It’s only after I’ve spent months away from a manuscript – usually spent working on a different manuscript in the meantime – that I get to see what I’ve written is actually exciting and engaging and emotional and GOOD.

If I could cut out the long wait period for those new eyes, it would greatly hasten the editing process in all its forms – copyediting, structural, etc.

Can I consider maximum caffeine efficiency a superpower? I’ll go with that. It would combat that “not enough hours in the day” feeling and I could write more as well as catch up on my reading and work through my shifts without feeling (as) exhausted.

I would like to have the superpower of not being lazy and inert. Can I get that please? What, I need to learn to exercise my own willpower? Fine. If I were to have an actual superpower, I would like the ability to insert my consciousness (as an observer) into other people’s heads, so that I could have by-proxy experiences to better understand other people and also activities that I can’t participate in — like climbing Mt. Everest. Because I am a keyboard knight only, and I worry that my imagination doesn’t paint the picture right. Also, I swear I won’t use my power for evil. …Often.

Ooh. Tough question Jay Dee. I though writing itself was a superpower! I suppose the superpower I would like to have is the power to weave obsession between my lines. The kind of obsession you get when you only intend to read one more chapter but instead stay up until 3 am on weeknight to finish the book. The kind of obsession that makes you want to tell everyone about this great book you’re reading. The kind of obsession that makes you want to read it over and over and over. That’s the superpower I’d like to have.

At first I was thinking something along the lines of Flash-level writing speed, but that power really depends on whether or not I can think as fast as I write, since it wouldn’t really do me much good if I had to stop every ten seconds to let my brain catch up.

So now I’m thinking something that isn’t necessarily a literary superpower, exactly: the ability to get a full night’s sleep and be totally well-rested and alert in, oh, let’s say ten minutes. If I could do that and have an extra 7-8 hours more to every day, I would write so much that no one person would be able to read it all. It may sound weak when given the choice of any superpower, but honestly, the need to sleep is the biggest roadblock to my writing right now, so that’s what I’m sticking with.

This is a great question! I’d love the power of engaging description. The ability to describe a room, a meal, an outfit, all the little bits that flesh out a world without making my own eyes glaze over would be great, bonus points if readers also are entertained. So, when are we handing out the superpowers? I could use this right now.

I would love to immediately transfer my thoughts to the page as passable prose. Once it’s on the page, I don’t mind editing the hell out of it, but sometimes getting the complexities down on paper before it gets bogged down, distorted and/or forgotten is a huge challenge. I hate to think of good ideas and characters being squandered by my inefficiency.

So many things I’d like. But I think what I’d like is some kind of barrier in which no outside distraction can enter. That means outside sounds like TV and people. Also, people can’t enter my barrier. Wherever I am, I can create this barrier and adjust it to whatever size I want, preferably the entire room I’m in.

How about you?

If you could have any literary superpower, what would it be? Let us know in the comments below.